Violin support



June 9, 1964 J. A. BRlED VIOLIN SUPPORT Filed May 28, 1962 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,136,197 VIOLIN SUPPORT Julian A. Bried, Rt). Box 7 39, Berkeley 1, Calif. Filed May 28, 1962, Ser. No. 198,029 4 Claims. (Cl. 84-280) This invention relates to supports for holding a violin under the chin of a performer, and has for its object an improved construction over such devices now obtainable.

One of the difliculties in learning to play on the viola or violin is to hold it under the chin without slipping out, particularly as the left or fingering hand, while sliding back and forth along the neck of the instrument tends to pull it from under the chin. Special chin rest, breast pads, and wire frame devices have been on the market for years, all calculated to aid in holding the violin rigid under the chin with the chin pressed down tightly upon it. But I have found that it greatly facilitates playing if the violin (or viola) is held loosely under the chin, or even without necessarily contacting the chin (so long as the violin cannot be pulled outward away from under the chin or fall), as the fingering hand can then also turn the instrument slightly while fingering to better present the first and last strings to the bowing action. 7

Briefly described, my complete, improved device for holding the violin under the chin comprises an adustable in length, substantially inelastic neckband or strap to fit about the players neck and provided in front under the chin with a loop orconnection arranged to engage about the underside of the conventional existing anchor pin or button at the rear of the violin. The string-attaching tailpiece of the violin is always anchored to the short neck of this button by a heavy piece of gut or a wire which is secured to the tailpiece and extends abruptly downward at the rear edge of the violin and passes down and about the anchor pin, or rather the short neck of the button, and which is generally the same size in the violin and viola, and although there is already a heavy gut string or wire in place about it, it just so happens that there is still enough room to receive a thin loop from the players neckband.

This thin loop carried by the neckband is preferably of U-shape restricted slightly to engage about the neck of the anchor button and not fall off unless pulled downward or held while the violin is lifted, and therefore, a pull-down tab is preferably provided on the loop or on the adjacent part of the neckband.

The specific features of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description to follow.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1' shows a violin player with the neckband in place connected to the tail-button of the violin.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the front part only of the neckband showing the U or keyhole shaped loop opening for engaging under and about the neck of the violin tailbutton.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view'similar to that of FIG. 2 but showing the attaching loop formed of wire.

In further detail, the violin player is designated 1, the neck-band 2, preferably adjustable in length as by a takeup buckle 2 and is quickly releasable as by a snap-button connection 3. The rear end of the violin is designated 4, its neck 5 supported by the players fingering hand 1, and the neck-band is shown connected at 6 with the violin anchor button 7 by the keyhole or U shaped loop 8 as of FIG. 2, or 9 of FIG 4, or 10 of FIG. 5. These loops are formed to freely pass the head of the anchor-button and embrace its neck or shank 7" snugly so that it requires a downward pull on the loop or relative raising of the we 1C6 violin to separate its engagement, and therefore the loops, or neck-band adjacent the loops, are provided with a pull-down tabsuch as shown'at 8', 9', and 10.

As the anchor pin or button 7 of the violin is for the purpose of anchoring the rear end of the violin tailpiece 11 which holds the rear ends of the four strings, and the connection is made by a heavy piece of gut-string or a wire 12 which is looped around under the neck 7' of the button, as indicated in FIGS. 6 and 8, there is very little room for further surrounding the neck of the button with the loop of the neckband, and therefore the loop is preferably made of stiff material or thin metal, and also bulged out forwardly from the neckband as indicated at 8" in FIGURES 2'and 3 to hook under the button more easily, to use what little space thereis, either in front or in back of the existing anchor gut or wire. But even in event of a case there should be no room at all, then the loop could still go back of the button head and bear directly against any existing gut or wire.

The various loops are suitably secured to the neckbands by any suitable means such as riveting at 13 indicated in FIG. 2, or stitching as at 14 in FIGS. 4 and 5.

It should be' noted that the neckband itself may be adjusted in length to fit high or lower upon the neck to best suit the particular player.

It should be noted that while the use of this improved violin holder does not require the use of a chin-rest or other devices, it does not preclude their use nor require that they be removed, but makes them entirely unnecessary.

I am aware that various heavy music band instruments such as drums, big horns, accordions, etc. have long been carried by shoulder straps, but the specific construction set out and claimed herein which cooperate with a specific part of the violin (the tail-button), I believe to be new and useful.

Having thus described my improvements in a violin holder, what I claim is:

1. A violin support for retaining a violin during playing thereof comprising a neckband releasably securable around the neck of a player, and means extending therefrom shaped to receive the conventional anchor pin of a violin string tailpiece, said means comprising a generally loop-like receptacle having its major axis vertically oriented perpendicularly to the band and provided with an upwardly divergent opening at the top thereof formed to engage under and about the neck of the existing tailpiece anchor pin of a violin.

2. In a structure as set out in claim 1, said loop being of stiff spring material and of U shape to engage just about half way around the neck of said tail button.

3. In a structure as set out in claim 1, a tab depending below said loop for grasping by the hand to aid in releasing said loop from the tail button.

4. In a structure as set out in claim 1, saidloop being of thin stiff material and formed to bulge outwardly from the players neck so as to more easily engage under and forwardly of the head of the conventional tailpiece anchor button.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 467,768 Bullard Jan. 26, 1892 735,343 Comstock Aug. 4, 1903 1,248,269 Connors Nov. 27, 1917 1,391,393 Lecoutre Sept. 20, 1921 FOREIGN PATENTS 120,468 Germany May 20, 1901 17,246 Great Britain of 1895 2,216 Great Britain of 1896 

1. A VIOLIN SUPPORT FOR RETAINING A VIOLIN DURING PLAYING THEREOF COMPRISING A NECKBAND RELEASABLY SECURABLE AROUND THE NECK OF A PLAYER, AND MEANS EXTENDING THEREFROM SHAPED TO RECEIVE THE CONVENTIONAL ANCHOR PIN OF A VIOLIN STRING TAILPIECE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A GENERALLY LOOP-LIKE RECEPTACLE HAVINF ITS MAJOR AXIS VERTICALLY ORIENTED PERPENDICULARLY TO THE BAND AND PROVIDED WITH AN UPWARDLY DIVERGENT OPENING AT THE TOP THEREOF FORMED TO ENGAGE UNDER AND ABOUT THE NECK OF THE EXISTING TAILPIECE ANCHOR PIN OF A VIOLIN. 